Man jailed over murdered horserider attack plot

A man who was recruited to attack murdered showjumper Tania Moore on the night she was shot dead by her ex-fiance has been jailed for three-and-a-half years today.

Colin Colley, 41, agreed to help killer Mark Dyche scare the young horsewoman on a country lane near her Derbyshire home.

He then gave evidence against the gunman when he found out the 26-year-old had been killed and has since received numerous threats from Dyche in prison.

Colley, from Newstead, Stoke-on-Trent, was originally charged with murder but the prosecution later accepted his plea of guilty to conspiracy to inflict grievous bodily harm.

Judge Mr Justice Bean, sentencing him at Nottingham Crown Court, said: "I bear very much in mind that you gave evidence for the Crown which helped to convict a manipulative, ruthless and cold-blooded murderer.

"In doing so it has exposed you to threats from Dyche that will hang over you in the future.

"Dyche had been pestering you for a long time to help him in this enterprise and finally on that night you succumbed.

"You took a baseball bat from your flat and accompanied Dyche to a farm where you both put on white plastic overalls and a balaclava.

"Your task was to beat up Tania Moore to frighten her.

"Dyche followed her, collided with her and ran

her off the road.

"At that point you took fright and stayed in the car. Dyche got out took a shotgun and murdered Tania Moore.

"I accept that if you had known what his intentions were you would never have become involved."